CAPE COD ALL-STAR GAME: Miley, Hicks make their pitch for Gatemen

Sunday

Jul 29, 2007 at 12:35 AM

WAREHAM — It's been a busy summer for Wade Miley.

Ed Collins

WAREHAM — It's been a busy summer for Wade Miley.

Pitching for the Wareham Gatemen in the Cape Cod Baseball League and working on the grounds crew at Spillane Field have kept him hopping, but he's still been able to find some time for one of his favorite pursuits.

"I love to fish and I've been able to get out on Buzzards Bay a couple of times," said Miley, a right-hander from Southeast Louisiana. "It's great being near the ocean and I've caught some stripers and bluefish. Fishing is a way for me to kick back and relax. It gives me a chance to forget about baseball for awhile and have some fun."

On Saturday, Miley, who is 1-5 for the Gatemen despite having a 2.19 ERA, found some time to take the mound at Spillane for the Western Division in a 3-2 loss to the Eastern Division in the league's annual All-Star Game.

It turned out to be another impressive outing for Miley, who needed only 10 pitches (five balls, five strikes) to get three outs in the seventh inning.

After getting Yarmouth-Dennis's Jason Castro on a leadoff groundout to first base, Miley walked Brewster's Charlie Cutler before getting the final two outs on pop flies to left field by Harwich's Kyle Day and Cole Figueroa.

"I had some butterflies in my stomach when I walked on the field, but I settled down after getting that first out," said Miley. "It wouldn't have been me if I hadn't walked anyone, so I got that out of my system and came back to make two good pitches for outs. It was short, but sweet, and that's the way I wanted it."

Closer Chris Hicks, a right-hander from Georgia Tech, was the only other Wareham player to see action in the game (catcher Josh Phegley was named to start, but had to sit out with a broken hand), and he stranded a pair of runners in the top of the eighth.

After striking out Brewster's Blake Tekotte to start the inning, Hicks gave up back-to-back infield hits to Yarmouth-Dennis's Sean Ochinko and Gordon Beckham.

Orleans' Dennis Raben, the Eastern Division's MVP, then popped out to shortstop and Hicks slipped a called third strike past Chatham's Jermaine Curtis to end the inning and keep the West in the game trailing 3-2.

"It was a blast playing in this game. Being recognized for something like this is a real honor and the best thing about the game was the fans," said Hicks, who has seven saves and a 1.50 ERA for the Gatemen. "A lot of people came out and they saw a good, close game. We've had great fan support in Wareham and we've played in front of some good crowds on the road. It's nice to know that people are behind you. It's a big part of what makes playing in this league so special."